We have all heard of Gov. Haslam wanting to privatize all of state government, and a simple Google search will show he has wanted that from Day 1.

Now, this is where I must be careful and declare my comments here are my personal views as a taxpayer — and I simply want to let the Tennessee taxpayer know that the only people who benefit from privatization are the investors, not the taxpayer.

McDonald’s pledge last week to start using cage-free eggs is only a small step in preventing staggering suffering endured by millions of birds.

Hatcheries that annually supply 200 million female hens for U.S. egg production, including cage-free, also kill the same number of male chicks at birth by grinding them up alive in industrial macerators or suffocating them slowly in plastic garbage bags.

The female laying hens endure a lifetime of misery, crammed with 5-6 others, in small wire-mesh cages that cut into their feet and tear out their feathers.

Recently, I had to take a trip to Tiger Haven to conduct some business.

The people who run the facility (Mary and her crew) were some of the nicest people you will ever meet. What wonderful people, to dedicate their lives to caring for God’s creatures. I guess they are looking forward to the day when we “lambs will lie down with their lions.”

Even though the facility is closed to the public, I was given a short tour when I got ready to leave.

Residents of the United States of America enjoy a security system like no other country in the world.

This system is based upon being able to call the police whenever we need them. Help or protection is never too far away. We know that they will come, regardless of the circumstances or potential danger involved.

We go to sleep every night, secure in the knowledge we will be protected from harm.